No Kawhi Leonard For The Rest Of Season?

One Spurs superstar is not expecting to see Kawhi Leonard back on the floor for the rest of the season. That superstar happens to be Manu Ginobili.

Ginobili talked to reporters on Wednesday before their game against the Washington Wizards and told ESPN's Michael C. Wright, "He is not coming back. For me, he's not coming back because it's not helping (to think Leonard is returning). We fell for it a week ago again. I guess you guys made us fall for it. But we have to think that he's not coming back; that we are who we are, and that we got to fight without him. That shouldn't be changing, at least until he is ready for the jungle."

That sounds like sound comments to me, despite recent reports that the Spurs were optimistic that Leonard would return against the Pelicans on March 15. Leonard ended up missing that game. Five games remain this month as well as 11 for the rest of the season, and it's still a toss-up on whether or not Leonard will actually be back on the court. However, based on what he has gone through this season, it seems more than likely than Leonard will probably be out for the rest of the season. If so, the Spurs might end up missing the playoffs.

Ginobili's words do carry some gravity, as the media these days have been overhyped about Leonard's return to the court, and the hype has mostly been exaggerated. I was less than hyped about Leonard's return because I didn't think it would actually happen this season. I can understand his desire to make it back onto the court and be as healthy and as productive as possible. The fact of the matter is, he's not the same player he was when he went out with the injury and head coach Gregg Popovic has made it clear that he does not want him back on the court unless he is fully healthy and free of any pain.

The Spurs are hoping for a healthy Kawhi Leonard right now, especially with the position they are in the Western Conference. They're in a tight race in the Western Conference and currently sit in sixth place. They're just 0.5 games separating them from the seventh-seed Minnesota Timberwolves and they would be playing the Portland Trail Blazers if the season ended today.

Right now, the Spurs are hoping that Kawhi Leonard comes back, but Manu Ginobili is indeed taking the approach that the Spurs may have to go the rest of the way without him. It's understandable. I don't want to see him back on the court unless he is fully healthy and able to carry this team on his back. Right now, he can't do that, and unless that happens, the Spurs will have to keep fighting. They've done a good job at that so far. We'll see what happens.

The Cavs Without Tyronn Lue

The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the next couple of days without their head coach Tyronn Lue.

The Cavs announced today that Lue will be taking a leave of absence to address some personal health issues. These health issues also forced him to leave early from three other games this season.

Lue said this in a statement, "After many conversations with our doctors and [GM] Koby Altman and much thought given to what is best for the team and my health, I need to step back from coaching for the time being and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation from which to coach for the rest of the season."

Cavaliers superstar LeBron James came out in support of Lue, but of course LeBron James is the de facto coach and GM of the team and even without Lue, LeBron is the one guy that keeps this team upright. Either way, it was the right thing to say and I hope that Lue takes as much time as he needs to combat this health scare and return to the court ready and willing to go for the playoffs. It's the same thing I said about Steve Kerr last season.

Lue has described several health scares that caused him to leave early from some games this season, including a Saturday game against the Bulls. He described several of them, including chest pains and other symptoms related to it, and a combination of a lack of sleep.

David Alridge of TNT said on his Twitter that Lue will try to return as early as next week, assuming he figures out his health scares and gets fully healthy.

Tyronn Lue will be on a one-week plan to address his health issues, per source. The current plan is to return to the bench next week.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) March 19, 2018

That being said and all that, Tyronn Lue should take as much time as he needs to get over these health scares. He shouldn't have to rush this back. It's like Steve Kerr. Don't rush him back. The team will be fine, and in this case, LeBron is going to be the one guy that keeps this team upright, even with the struggles they've been having since the All-Star break, especially against good teams with winning records.

In the meantime, Cavs assistant coach Larry Drew will take over in the interim. He does have some head coaching experience, having coached the Atlanta Hawks from 2010-13, so this team will be in good hands.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they have their own issues to deal with, not including Lue's health scare. This team is currently 9-7 since Altman traded away half the roster, and they've had bad games against teams with winning records since the All-Star break. Most of this is going to be put on LeBron James, as it should, because he's the star and he's the one controlling the guys out there on the floor. They're going to have to figure out how to win against good teams, otherwise, even without Lue, they'll probably have a miserable end to the season, combined with perhaps a dismal playoff run, assuming it goes that way.

I wish Tyronn Lue all the best in his recovery. No need to rush this back. Take as much time as you can and this team will be fine when you get back. As for the Cavaliers, they have their work cut out in front of them, and they have to figure out a way to get through this slump they're currently in.

Virginia Goes Down Hard To UMBC

If you were looking for a 16 seed finally beating a 1 seed, you finally got one, courtesy of UMBC.

Yes, after 34 years of trying and trying, a 16 seed finally took down a 1 seed as UMBC pulled off the greatest upset in college history by knocking off the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54. Yes, that was a 20 point win by a 16 seed over a 1 seed. 20 points! That's an NBA score almost.

You know the name Jairus Lyles? Well, probably not til tonight, as he's now a part of NCAA history as he led the way for UMBC with 28 points and now joins Bryce Drew and Reggie Upshaw as perhaps the unlikeliest of heroes who pulled off spectacular upsets in their times.

Many have said that Virginia probably had the toughest road to the Final Four, and they didn't even play catch-up against UMBC when all was said and done. Coming into this game, they were the ACC regular season and conference title champs. They went through the season 31-2. Now, they'll sit at home and let UMBC handle it the rest of the way.

As for UMBC, they took the night and ran with it, thanks in part to three-pointers all night long. They also got to the rim with almost no problem. They were tied at 21 going into the half. After that, UMBC scored six straight points and for Virginia, it was trouble when the deficit just increased.

Virginia had no business being in this game after the half. They caved to a 16 seed. They didn't play with intensity, with purpose, with nothing except just looking at UMBC rack up the points. They were outplayed at every turn, beaten to the rim every time, and allowed UMBC to hit three after three after three. If you're Virginia, that's inexcusable. Not to mention their 4-of-22 from three-point range was probably their Achilles Heel.

UMBC did everything than Virginia had done leading up to this game. UMBC looked like it was in the ACC and completely took advantage of a Virginia team, especially coming out of halftime. And this wasn't the first time Virginia was on the wrong end. They lost to Chaminade in 1982. At that time, it was considered the greatest upset in college basketball history. Now, this may triumph over it. Plus, that game was in a Hawaii tournament. This was in the NCAA tournament. This will be longer and have a longer lasting impact than many we have seen before.

I've never seen it before. I can't believe it, but it did happen. And Virginia, with perhaps the toughest road in the tournament, didn't play a game. The way they played, they shouldn't have been in the tournament. Now, we'll wait to see what UMBC has up their sleeves for the next game. One thing's for sure: UMBC is our Cinderella this year.

The Case Against Syracuse In the NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament is full of winners and losers. In my last article, I detailed about how USC, despite its conference schedule and all that, should have gotten in. In this one, I will discuss how Syracuse should not have gotten in.

A question many of have had is why Syracuse got picked going into the tournament this year. What got them over the top that gave the Selection Committee the ability to put them into the tournament?

A couple of things really. Some of it was thanks to the Orange's ability this season. Other times, it was because other teams fell off and it allowed Syracuse to rise. One of those abilities to get in was its strength of schedule. They were playing in the ACC, which definitely helps you out with the committee, but like what Oklahoma State learned going through the Big-12, you can't just be in a conference that's very strong and expect that the committee will take pity on you. Its strength of schedule was 15th in the country while Oklahoma State was 69th. They had games against Kansas, Buffalo, Iona, and Maryland, which all had different levels that allowed Syracuse an ability to be successful and battle-tested going into the tournament. The Committee apparently saw that as good enough to be one of the teams.

Another big factor was their ability to win away from home. They were 4-6 away from the Dome, including 4-6 in big road games with two wins over Miami and Louisville. Those were two teams that the Committee saw as Syracuse needing to win in order to get in. To me, Miami was the only elite program that Syracuse won against, but to be fair, Syracuse did better on the road than in previous years. The problem with this is USC had a better road record than Syracuse this season. Even Notre Dame was better than Syracuse away from home.

Iona and Texas Southern were considered bubble teams that Syracuse had to go up against. It wasn't just them, though. They were 6-9 against the field, including wins that actually helped them like the two I just mentioned. Both of those teams ended up with a conference title, and the Orange were given a boost because of that.

Those were the three main factors that allowed Syracuse to get over the top. Unfortunately, they should still not be in, and it's not because I don't agree with why the Committee picked them, but it's because their road record was not as great as other teams who ended up staying out. They didn't have the big wins they needed in order for the Committee to say they're an automatic in, but many of USC's losses on the road were against power teams that were going to get in no matter what, like Arizona. The two big wins the Committee saw in Miami and Louisville, is not what I would consider as strong for the NCAA Tournament. Especially not Louisville, because Louisville had struggled all season and ended up at the NIT. Syracuse, in my mind, needed to have a better road record in order to get into the tournament, but the Committee took pity on them and put them in anyway.

I don't know if this was because they were kicked out last year, but it's clear to look that way. Either way, I think the Committee did a terrible job of allowing Syracuse to get in. Yes, their schedule looks tough and yes, they've had some good wins, but I feel like other teams, like USC and Notre Dame, should've been the frontrunners ahead of Syracuse.

USC Should Be In The Tournament

When the NCAA Selection Committee made its selections, there were a lot of picks they got from. But just like every year we've had, they've always made one mistake. In this particular case, it was a terrible mistake and it was not picking USC to be in it.

Let's face it: USC and their alums and fans definitely have some beef now with the NCAA Tournament now that they've become one of the big programs not to make it to the dance this year. That's with good reason as well.

USC this season had an RPI of 34, which makes them the highest major conference team not to make it into the field of 68. It's completely depressing and inexcusable for this committee.

So why? Why exactly did the committee not send USC into the big dance? Well, for one, the Trojans lacked a difficult out-of-conference schedule and they weren't able to beat tournament teams within their own conference, like UCLA and Arizona. Don't forget the game against Stanford where Daejon Davis destroyed them on the last shot. Yes, Stanford's not in either, but they still did enough to kick USC's butts that game. Either way, the committee looked at both of those things and decided they couldn't afford to give USC a pass and get into the tournament. It still makes it wrong, though, especially since weaker teams and much easier schedules got in over them.

Let's take a closer look at the teams they beat and didn't beat out of conference. USC beat New Mexico State and Cal State Fullerton. They lost to Texas A&M and Oklahoma out of conference. Those teams got into the dance. In-conference, they lost to Arizona twice, rival UCLA twice, and Arizona State. It was very harsh, but the committee felt not beating any of those teams was warrant enough to keep them out of the tournament. Still, though, they way they finished and how they went through the Pac-12 tournament, should've allowed them to get in. Arizona didn't need to win the Pac-12 tournament to get in anyway. They were in, no matter what.

I definitely feel the frustration and anger of USC fans. In fact, I was just texting one over Twitter on Sunday night, saying that USC should be in, because despite the schedule, the way they played throughout most of the season and the teams they needed to beat to get there, should've gotten them in. However, I'm not the committee. I know they had a hard job, but I think with the lack of Pac-12 teams I've seen in this tournament, USC should've been given a chance to prove themselves in the big dance.

It's definitely understandable what the committee did. Yes, I agree that USC did not have a hard out-of-conference schedule and wins against teams that weren't all that great, but in the end, USC should have at least been given a chance. Now, they'll have to prove themselves in the NIT and you can bet they'll be playing that tournament with anger, since they know they should've been in.